title: Prescribing of smoking cessation medication in England since the introduction of varenicline.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the effect of the introduction of a new smoking cessation medication, varenicline, and the publication of guidance related to its use, on trends in prescribing of smoking cessation medications in England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interrupted time series analysis of primary care data on prescribing of smoking cessation medication using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 446 general practices included in The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a database of UK electronic primary care records.
  
  
  METHODS
  All primary care patients registered with a THIN practice in England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Monthly rates of prescribing of varenicline, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and bupropion per 100 000 patients registered with a THIN practice between June 2000 and June 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NRT was the most commonly prescribed stop smoking medication, and bupropion the least frequently prescribed. After its introduction in December 2006 varenicline rapidly became the second most commonly prescribed drug. There was no statistically significant change in overall prescribing for smoking cessation medications after its introduction (P = 0.760), or after the publication of the related guidance in July 2007 (P = 0.134).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Soon after being introduced in England, varenicline was widely prescribed; after nicotine replacement therapy it was the most commonly prescribed cessation medication. However, this does not appear to have increased overall rates of prescribing for smoking cessation medication.
authors.affiliation: UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. tessa.langley@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Tessa E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Langley
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McNeill
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Szatkowski
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D001552:Benzazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016642:Bupropion / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009538:Nicotine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013222:State Medicine; D013997:Time Factors; D000068580:Varenicline
chemical_list: D001552:Benzazepines; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011810:Quinoxalines; D016642:Bupropion; D009538:Nicotine; D000068580:Varenicline